As the ball meets the setters hands, the crowd cheers louder. The setter pushes the ball back into the air and another teammate hits it over the net.

“KA-BOOM!”

With four setters on the teams, three are freshmen and they all look up to senior Joey Redwine.

“I hope to become as good as Joey,” JV setter Stevi Perkins said. “She is an amazing setter and she just looks so graceful every time she sets and she’s a great leader.”

Freshman team setter Morgan Taylor also looks up to Redwine.

“She never gets down on anybody and she can set any spot no matter where she is on the floor,” Taylor said.

Freshman Stormi Leonard plays as second setter on varsity.

“This season Joey has become like my sister,” Leonard said. “She is amazing at volleyball and gives me good pointers.”

Perkins also creates high standards on herself to improve, she also tries to follow the coaches expectations.

“I expect 100% all the time, everyday,” JV coach Della Stallard said.

Perkins and Redwine both know what the coaches look for from them.

“She definitely wants me to be a leader and to be very vocal on the court,” Perkins said, “and to encourage everyone.”

Redwine agrees.

“They expect a lot from me. The setter is the leader on the court because the setter hits the ball the most,” Redwine said.

Coaching JV volleyball for four years Stallard leads the team to an undefeated season so far.

“This is my best team that I’ve coached,” Stallard said.

Playing since sixth grade, Perkins enjoys JV and tries to meet her goals to improve her skills.

“It’s fun. It’s not as high stress as varsity,” Perkins said, “but I definitely want to be on varsity next year,” Perkins said.

Practicing every morning from 5:30 to 8:10, five days a week takes dedication.

“The hardest thing in the sport is getting your body to do what you want it to do with a moving ball,” Stallard

said.

The team bonds through team lunches and hanging out together.

“I see a group of individuals coming together as a family,” Stallard said. “The relationships I build with these girls is a real positive, because it’s like a new family every year. That’s one thing that keeps me coaching.”

The second reason Stallard loves coaching volleyball is the competition.

“I love the game, the pace and the attacking at the net,” she said.

During the game, each player creates different goals.

“I’m thinking about how I can help the team get better and how we can run it smoothly,” Perkins said.

Before each game the team huddles to make a plan.

“I think about pushing myself through the goals we set before each game,” Redwine said.

As the game comes to an end and the team wins, Stallard is proud of them. The neatest part of the game for Stallard to see in an individual is when it clicks.

“[It’s neat to see] when the light bulb comes on, when they finally get something they have been working so hard on for the last four or five years,” Stallard said. “As a team it is neat to see them play at the potential you know they have.”

As a leader, Perkins is also really proud of the team as they win another victory.

“Knowing we didn’t slack off, we played our best and we kept our energy up is great,” she said.

Stallard has a goal she wants the team to reach.

“To polish their skills, to learn how to work at our extremely high expectations, but yet still keep them loving the game,” she said.

Playing on varsity for three years and playing volleyball since fifth grade, Redwine hopes to pursue this sport after high school. She describes it as thrilling.

“The pace of the game keeps it going; it’s like a reaction game where you have to be really fast and it’s really fun,” Redwine said.

Leonard plays on the same level as upperclassmen and won’t let them down.

“Playing on varsity is intense,” she said, “because you have to stay up and do your job. The team is counting on you.”

Whereas Perkins describes the sport as unpredictable.

“The same thing never happens twice. It’s always subject to change,” she said, “so you have to be ready for everything.”

This year’s varsity volleyball team includes leadership, different ages, bonding and success.

“It’s an honor to be on the team,” senior Haley Dale said, “because it is such a good program and good group of girls. Every one on the team has worked very hard to earn that spot.”

Varsity coach Claire Rose develops goals which include creating a successful program people enjoy watching.

“I want it to be a family more than a team,” Rose said.

Winning  36 games so far, there are five freshmen on varsity this year.

“It’s pretty new to me competing on the varsity level,” freshman Annie Parks said. “But it’s exciting because there is so much to do and after every point during the game you can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next.”

Practicing every morning at 5:30, Dale describes volleyball as her life.

“It literally consumes my life, in a good way,” she said. “All I do is eat, sleep and play volleyball.”

Coaching varsity for five years, Rose enjoys watching the game.

“This year, the team’s success is from reaching their goals  they made on day one,” Rose said. “They work hard to achieve them and they don’t settle- that’s the biggest thing.”

New members are inspired by watching the seniors.

”It’s cool to see the team grow and to see everyone improve,” senior Amanda Delka said.

Winning isn’t everything, but it’s a bonus.

“We work for it,” Dale said. “It feels good to win, but we work harder than anybody else so we should win.”

The team feels closer this year, than in the past.

“Besides everyone getting better, we’ve been more rounded,” Dale said. “We also have bonded more and we play well as a team.”

Park’s first year in high school she loves playing volleyball.

“The workouts are a lot harder than middle schools,” she said. “But we have a coach that explains a lot really well and we have team leaders and role models for us younger ones.”

Playing on varsity for two years Delka enjoys the cool experience.

“There’s so much going on, it’s not just one thing happening,” Delka said. “It’s exciting.”

On their way to playoffs Rose speaks to the team with determination.

“I couldn’t be more proud of these ladies that work hard everyday to do a sport they love,” Rose said.